Acoustic and electric bassist musician extraordinaire Brian Bromberg is back and playing funkier than ever. Bromberg’s sounds are diverse and always in the pocket and with his album titled Thicker Than Water, the bassist is again displaying his tremendous talent on both electric and acoustic bass. On this project Bromberg explores the electric bass and its possibilities. He used eleven different electric basses to get all the sounds he heard in the music. Bromberg’s fluidity in single lines, slapping and popping and chords on the electric bass are everywhere on Thicker Than Water. Combine that with an outstanding cast of musicians and excellent compositions and you have an amazing project. Thicker Than Water is full of guest appearances including: trumpeter Randy Brecker and saxophonists Marion Meadows, Najee, Everette Harp, Brandon Fields, and Gary Meek. It also features one of the final performances by the late, great keyboardist George Duke. The thirteen tracks run through many styles – smooth grooves to beautiful ballads, from fusion to all out funk, but no matter the style, Bromberg’s gift for rhythm and melody is a joy to hear. That’s the short of it!
Positives:
Hearing Bromberg’s electric bass playing is a real treat. His mastery of building a groove is evident in his supporting bass parts, but especially in his solos is where his fluidity and musicality shine.
Bottom Line:
Thicker Than Water finds Brian Bromberg redefining our preconceived concepts of what the role of the bass should be in a band. Most jazz fans are already familiar with Bromberg’s unique skills and sound on the acoustic bass, but now with Thicker Than Water, Bromberg again tears down preconceived notions of what an electric bass can do and its role within an ensemble. The vibe and pocket is diverse on each track and the bass plays the dominate role throughout the album. The bass is used as a supporting instrument, with solid funky grooves that slap and pop in the pocket, and as a solo instrument, with blistering bass solos that incorporates multiple right-hand and left-hand techniques to create stunning musicals shapes. The compositions are inventive, and the ensemble hits solid with wonderful guest artist rounding out the date. This is seriously fun music that grooves.